Pipe wrench



April 13, 1937.-

W. O. THEWES PIPE WRENCH Original Filed Oct. 26, 1934 VIIA'IIII Zhwentor W/ZZ/A/V 0. THEWE'S attorneys Patented Apr. 13, 1937 PIPE WRENCH -Williarn 0. Thewes, Cleveland, Ohio, assigndr to The Ridge Tool Company, North Ridgeville,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application October 26, 1934, Serial No{ 750,179. Divided and this application February I 5, 1936, Serial No. 62,496

3 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe wrenches and more particularly to what is known as the Stillson pattern pipe wrench, and is a division of my co -pending application Serial No 750,179, filed October 26th, 1934, now issued as Patent No.

2,051,755 and granted Aug. '18, 1936.

This type of wrench is usually provided with a handle which supports a heel jaw, and a housing is pivotally carried by the handle and supports a 0 hook jaw in cooperative relation with the heel jaw. It is important that the housing be free to pivot relative to the handle in order to permit relative movement between the hook and heel jaws and thus permit the familiar ratchet or pipe Wrench action well known in the art. 1

Heretofore in wrenches of this type the housing was merely loose on the handle with nothing to restrain the pivotal movement, or springs were used which acted between the housing and the handle to maintain the housing in a centered position relative to the handle, the resiliency of the springs permitting the housing to be moved either way. It is upon the particular spring suspension that the present invention is predicated.

Prior springs had several deficiencies. The leaf type spring while permitting considerable resiliency and hence fairly easy pivotal movement of the housing, was more diiiicult to attach to the housing or handle and hence more expensive to manufacture. Furthermore a very large percentage of these springs broke in use. In some instances the manner of fastening the springs to the handle made it impractical, if not impossible, to replace the same.

Coil springs for effecting the suspension of the housing while less apt to breakage, present several defects among which were the fact that it took more room in the housing to support the same. They were actually not as resilient as the leaf springs and what was more important the means by which they were supported on the housing or the handle weakened the same and increased the handle breakage. This was especially true where sockets were provided in the handle of the wrench for the reception of the spring, since it weakened the handle at a point where great strain was applied.

In the present invention, as will hereinafter appear, the numerous defects in the prior art devices have been overcome. An improved suspension for the-housing is provided which allows greater pivotal movement of the housing than was capable in prior art suspension and where ,the springs may be quickly and easily-replaced 55 and in which the parts of the wrench subjected to the greatest strain when in use are not weakened.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the wrench of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the improved spring used in the wrench of my invention.

Referring to the drawing throughout which like parts have been designated by like reference characters, the wrench is provided with a handle 5 which carries on one end a heel jaw 1 having the usual transverse teeth 8.

A hook jaw 9 having transverse teeth it is supported in operative relation to the heel jaw l by a housing II, which housing is pivotally secured to the handle 5 by a pin I2 beneath the heel jaw. The housing is provided with a longitudinal opening l3 or channel therethrough extending parallel to the handle and through which the threaded shank [4 of the hook jaw extends. A transverse opening I5 is provided in the housing intersecting the channel l3 and adapted to receive therein a knurled nut It disposed on the threaded end of the hook jaw shank for adjusting the relative position of the hook jaw to the heel jaw.

The housing is provided with a lateral extension I! which embraces the handle spaced from the heel jaw and which is provided with a suitable clearance as at l8 to permit relative pivotal movement of the housing on the handle.

The housing is maintained in a floating pivotal relation on the handle by a pair of conical springs H! which are provided with cylindrical extensions 20 which may be a helical continuation of the conical portion l9 and which springs are seated in apertures 2| in the outer wall of the embracing portion ll of the housing and 22 in the inner wall defining the channel !3 with the enlarged ends of the spring bearing against the handle at preferably diametrically opposite points.

By supporting the springs in the housing as shown at points in the housing where there is relatively small or no strain when in use, and thus eliminating direct connection to the spring by the handle, either by riveting to the handle or disposition of sockets in the handle, a more even distribution of spring pressure is applied to the housing, so that it is not harder to actuate in one direction than the other, and the handle is not weakened at points subject to strain. Furthermore, it is a relatively easy matter to insert new ones. The disposition of the springs within the housing prevents the same from catching against extraneous objects.

By providing a conical spring with the cylindrical attaching portion integral therewith, a greater resiliency and less space is required than in the ordinary cylindrical spring and considerable economy in manufacture is attained.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pipe wrench comprising a handle and a fixed jaw portion formed integrally therewith and having a fixed jaw thereon, a movable jaw having a shank, a housing for the movable jaw having a front portion through which the fixed jaw portion extends and a rear portion through which the shank of the movable jaw extends, said housing being pivotally connected to the fixed jaw portion and being formed with registering holes in the opposed walls of its front portion which serve as spring seats, and a pair of substantially cone-shaped coil springs having the reduced ends thereof seated in said holes and their opposite ends bearing against opposed'sides of the said fixed jaw portion and serving to maintain the jaw housing and the movable jaw carried thereby in a floating position with respect to the fixed jaw.

2. In a wrench of the class described, including a handle having a jaw on one end, a housing pivotally connected to said handle, a movable jaw having a shank extending through the housing, and an adjusting nut for adjusting the position of the movable jaw relative to the other jaw, said housing having a yoke extending around the handle and spaced therefrom on opposite sides, a pair of coil springs each of which comprises a conical body and a cylindrical stem seated in said yoke and bearing against said handle at opposite sides to maintain a floating relation between the housing and the handle.

3. In a wrench of the class described, a handle having a jaw on one end, a housing pivotally connected to said jaw, and having a yoke extending around the handle and spaced therefrom on opposite sides, a movable jaw carried by and adjustable in said housing, means to maintain the housing and movable jaw in pivotal floating relation on said handle comprising a pair of conical springs formed with cylindrical extensions adapted to be seated in apertures in the yoke with their large conical ends bearing against the handle on diametrically opposite sides.

WILLIAM O. THEWES. 

